Prohousing Designation Program

Increasing the availability of housing statewide is critical to bettering the quality of life of all Californians and to ending homelessness. The 2019-2020 Budget Act in California provided a spectrum of support, incentives, and accountability measures to meet California’s housing goals, and provided for the establishment of the state's Prohousing Designation Program. 

* If translation services are required, please contact the Planning Department at (925) 888-7040, 48 hours in advance of a meeting. 

* 如果需要翻譯服務，請在會議前 48 小時致電 (925) 888-7040 與規劃部聯繫。

* Si se requieren servicios de traducción, comuníquese con el Departamento de Planificación al (925) 888-7040, 48 horas antes de la reunión.

The Town of Moraga is applying for a Prohousing Designation!

Benefits to Applying

Receiving a Prohousing Designation documents a jurisdiction’s commitment to implementing local policies that remove obstacles to new housing and recognizes the work that has already been done by a jurisdiction to address California’s severe housing shortage and affordability crisis. Applicants seeking to build affordable housing projects in local governments that receive the Prohousing Designation can receive priority processing or funding points when applying for several funding programs, including Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC), Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG), Transformative Climate Communities (TCC), and more. 

Please provide public comments to: planning@moraga.ca.us

Application Details

The Prohousing Designation application consists of 5 appendices:

  • Appendix 1: the formal resolution authorizing a jurisdiction to apply for a Prohousing Designation
  • Appendix 2: the jurisdiction’s proposed policy completion schedule
  • Appendix 3: the jurisdiction’s project proposal scoring sheet
  • Appendix 4: examples of enhancement factors
  • Appendix 5: supporting documentation

There are also threshold requirements that include having a certified Housing Element, engaging in a public participation process, complying with applicable state housing law related to the Permit Streamlining Act and CEQA, and more. 

The core of the Prohousing Designation application is focused on Appendix 3, the jurisdiction’s project proposal scoring sheet. There are 4 categories in which jurisdictions receive points. The 4 categories include:

  • Favorable Zoning and Land Use
  • Acceleration of Housing Production Timeframes
  • Reduction of Construction and Development Costs
  • Providing Financial Subsidies

A minimum of 30 points must be reached to achieve a Prohousing Designation across the 4 categories. There are also enhancement factors, where each category can receive extra points if policies in the 4 categories align with state priorities, such as, but not limited to, mitigating climate change, promoting fair housing, and preventing displacement. Points are received for both enacted and proposed policies. Proposed policies must be implemented within 2 years of application submittal.

Application Process

The Town intends to submit its Prohousing Designation application to the state’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) department by end of year 2024.

The application draft was made publicly available on the Town of Moraga Website on October 18, 2024, for an initial 30-day public comment period which ended on November 18, 2024. On November 13, 2024, the Town Council adopted a resolution authorizing the submittal of a Draft Prohousing Designation application to HCD. On November 21, 2024, the Prohousing Designation application was reposted for a second comment period ending on December 2, 2024, after which, the Town will submit the application to HCD and collaborate with them to achieve designation. 

 Check out the Town’s Prohousing Designation Application:

Prohousing Designation Application (PDF)

October 18, 2024 - Preliminary Draft Prohousing Designation Application 

Draft Prohousing Designation Application (PDF)